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Workhouse Infirmary 99 Dudley Rd 1 Western Road

The Workhouse Infirmary was located at the junction of Dudley Road and Western Road, and used both 99, Dudley Road and 1,Western Road as addresses, it was known as such until 1920, when it became Dudley Road Hospital.
It's believed that the address of 99, Dudley Road was used to remove some of the stigma associated with the Western Road address of the Workhouse, which of course by that time was no longer a workhouse. but the buildings were used by the hospital.
There are a number of postings regarding Dudley Road Hospital and Western Road on the forum, use the search facility above.
See my website https://www.bhamb14.co.uk/index_files/DUDLEYROADHOSPITAL.htm

Colin
 
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very imteresting subject!
My mother was born in the dudley road workhouse om 3rd Sep 1908.
I only found out by accident and would love to hear more on this place. sadly she has been dead a few years so any info gratefully received
 
HI Just Reading One Of Barries Reply Regarding Dudley Rd And Some -one
Said It Was 99 Dudley Rd And Barrie Very Appropiately Pointed Out
The Addreess For The Work House Was Westeren Rd , Well Barrie Is Very Correct ,Dudley Rd Was Not The Work House ,Ajoining The Dudley Rd Hospital Many Years Ago Which I Presume Was The Annex Which Was Classed As
A Different Hospital And That Was Called Summerfield Hospital ,And That
Was For The Very Old And Infrmed And In There Last Days Prior To That It Was The Work House In The Early 1900,S dUDLEY rD Incorporated Summerfield In The Early 30,S And Then Summerfield Became Incoporated
With Dudley Rd So Dudley Rd Was Seperated From The Work House
So The Work House Was Not 99 Dudley Rd I Cannot Recall The Number
Of Weston Rd Where It Stood I Walkede Passed There A Thousand Time During My Growing Up Later In The Sixties They Used One Little Part Of That Work As A Hostel fOR The Older Gentleman Of The Road I Got To Speak To One Or Two Of Them,There Was A Great Big Arch Way To
The Entrance The Sign Stretch Over Stating Summerfield Hospital
And Through There You Gained Exit To The Annex Of The Hospital
You Could Get Through To Dudley RD As It Was In There Grounds
But Dudley Rd And Summerfield Rd Hospital Was Two Different Places
Along With The Old Routine House As The Gentle Men Of The Road Called IT And It Certainly Was,nt 99 Dudley R
 
Gee Gee Jean said:
Is this of any help to you. Jean.
Click to expand...
Hi Jean,
Thanks for your reply. I have looked at the post on Workhouses but cannot find what you have written. This could be me as i'm not very familiar with the wondrous workings of the computer! Help!
Best wishes
Mary
 
My great great grandfather Mr George Stokes died in the Dudley Rd Workhouse in 1870 at the age of 66yrs. Can anyone tell me where he was likely to be buried and where I could get some information about him. Not wishing to make a pun I seem to have come to a deadend.
 
Hello RF, if your grandfather was taken to the infirmary at the workhouse because he was ill, there will only be the death certificate to say where he died. If he had lived in the workhouse then the Warwickshire Health Authority have custody of the records, and as you are outside the closure period they will let you have copies.
 
williams said:
Hii Jill, i,m a new member and have just seen your query, if it,s not too late there is a site at https;//users.ox.ac.uk/~peterworkhouse
this site is from someone at Oxford Uni he has researched lots of Workhouses. i hope it,s of use to you Regards Jackie
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im new to this fourm. can someone help me i was born in the workhouse dudley road birmingham and i am looking to find my mother my date of birth is 20/7/1955 is it possibale to get info on who my mother is from the hospital
 
Hello James,
Dudley Road Hospital wasn't a workhouse by 1955, just a hospital.
It is now called City Hospital.
Your best bet would be to obtain your Birth Certificate. Is there a problem with that?
Good Luck,
Tess
 
introuble said:
hello james,
dudley road hospital wasn't a workhouse by 1955, just a hospital.
It is now called city hospital.
Your best bet would be to obtain your birth certificate. Is there a problem with that?
Good luck,
tess
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thanks for the info tess i have my birth cert but i think there is a problem with it. If you could give me your phone no i will explain what the problem is i dont want to put my problem on the fourm many thanks tess
 
hi everyone, can anyone tell me why u have to go on a long chase, to trace your family members, who were in care? everytime i try to find any paper-work on my grandfather, [ we don,t know] is it through in a bin or burnt, who knows,? or [top-secert]. christy...
 
hi, all, is there any files,left, to summerhill house, or shelly-fields, or lists, of children who were in care in 1915-1928, in [BIRMINGHAM] all i get are littie bits, of info,who has these records,? if my grandfather came from a another planet, i would understand, this, he was born & bred in brum the same as me,yet there is no history of his child hood in care,. i am at a lost. all the best,..regards,..christy
 
I have looked though the posts on DUDLEY RD WORKHOUSE very quickly & correct me if I am wrong but was not the workhouse called "WESTERN ROAD" Later to become DODLEY ROAD, HOSPITAL (NOW CITY HOSPITAL).Sorry if this has been said before?
 
The Baron said:
I have looked though the posts on DUDLEY RD WORKHOUSE very quickly & correct me if I am wrong but was not the workhouse called "WESTERN ROAD" Later to become DODLEY ROAD, HOSPITAL (NOW CITY HOSPITAL).Sorry if this has been said before?
Click to expand...

My mother nursed at the Western Road Hospital for many years from the mid 50s until her retirement in the 70s. It was indeed the old Workhouse attached to the Dudley Road Hospital. You went into the Hospital from Dudley Road (very impressive iron gates as I remember) but to go into the Workhouse side you went down Western Road and entered from there, through more iron gates!
When Mum worked there it was the Geriatric Unit attached to the main hospital and I remember her telling me that many of the elderly patients were initially extremely upset when they were admitted for care as, of course, they remembered it as the Workhouse, and didn't understand that it was now a hospital. It was the accepted belief that once you were in there you didn't come out again!
I used to go there very often as a teenager during the school hols to help out on the wards and in the therapy department. I remember very clearly that the 'bones' of the Workhouse were still very visible in every dark corridor and old fashioned ward, it didn't take much imagination to see it as it must have been in the bad old days, it was still very Victorian even then in the 60s.
When I took my son to the Eye Department at the new City* Hospital earlier this year I was very surprised to see that it's sited where the old Western Road Hospital used to be. (I've been exiled in the South west for many years and am only recently 'home' so hadn't seen all the changes). It gave me a very weird feeling to be treading that ground again after so many decades!
*Sorry, but it'll always be Dudley Road to me, my mother nursed there before and during the war, I was born there and so were my children!
There's nothing like Tradition! :)
 
Hi all it may be of help if you check thread started by Virusman 26 relates to workhouse dudley rd etc entitled hi all another noob in the welcome area:D hope this helps:D
 
I fear that i was spotted entering the building last time, and a week later the boards were being placed around it. There hasn't been any sign of security for years up until that point. I may have been a catalyst in the system deciding to demo the place. It's very un stable, and there are lots of records etc that the NHS probably don't want to be seen in there. It's due to be ripped down as per the rest of the original hospital over the holiday.
 
Hi Virusman
That is such a shame I know the building is unstable.But If they do demolish it that is such a large part of Brums history gone..I know that Ted Rudge's site is trying to save it and I think we should all try and support him before it is too late
Maggie
 
maggieuk said:
Hi Virusman
That is such a shame I know the building is unstable.But If they do demolish it that is such a large part of Brums history gone..I know that Ted Rudge's site is trying to save it and I think we should all try and support him before it is too late
Maggie
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Maggie, I could not agree more. There are far too many places in this country that are incredibly important to our social and economic past that are being destroyed. The more of our buildings we lose, the less history we have to pass on. The more I travel about, the more dereliction I see, and it kills me to see it.

Lets hope the hospital(or what remains of it) gets saved before it's lost for good:redface:
 
My Gt. Grandfather died in the Evesham workhouse or union house as it was called. I found this out on the 1901 census, there was a list of all the people who were in the same building as him, perhaps if you tried the census nearest to when she was born you might find a bit of info. Good Luck;)
 
Hi to all. I am new in this forum and researching from Germany on the workhouse in Birmingham. Can anyone tell me if it has been already removed / demolished? I read that the demolition was supposed to take place over x-mas?
Also, is the hospital the only building left from the old Workhouse complex in Dudley road?
Thanks for your help,
Greetz
 
Thanks a lot,

The reason for my interest is that we are preparing a documentary for German Television. It is about the Irishwoman Emily Watson.
In 1858 (not verified) she emigrated from Ireland to Birmingham. And maybe she found her new home in the Birmingham Workhouse at Dudley RD. Furthermore, we have the statement, that she worked there as a needlewoman and nanny for children. Her working place has something to do with the name “Summerhill”. Maybe you know, if there was a children’s home with the name in 1858?
.
Thank you in advance,

Marc
 
Hi Marc Welcome to the forum if you introduce yourself on the welcome thread and explain what you need I am sure you wll get a lot of input from forum members good luck:)if you havent already done so ?:)
 
Hiya Marc :)Summerhill was only up the road from Western Rd..I Don't know if there was childrens home there but I am sure someone on the forum maybe able to help..Good Luck:)
Maggie
 
hi,everyone , my grandfather, was sent to this place in 1918,he was there for a few years,[summerhill] i did get a letter, from s/ services, he then went to shenley fields cottage homes till 1928, summerhill is a old peoples home now,[i think] all the best,...christy..
 
Hello Jackie, I've only just started searching my mother's family history. She was born at 77 Dudley Road, which I now know was part of the hospital. My mother was born Dorothy Jean Williams and her mother was Dorothy Miriam Williams. My mother was born in 1936.
 
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